ART Grand Prix ‘anticipating’ Title double but PREMA Racing ready to spoil the party

23 November 2023

Two teams, two titles and two rookies fighting for top honours. Yas Island plays host to the title deciding round with both ART Grand Prix and PREMA Racing vying to achieve the fabled double with Teams’ and Drivers’ Championship successes.

It’s the French squad that arrives in Abu Dhabi with the advantage in both tables. They lead PREMA by 26 points heading into the last round of the season while Théo Pourchaire holds a 25-point gap over Frederik Vesti.

Both teams have achieved plenty of Championship success in the past but are under no illusions about the fight the other will put up. For ART, holding onto their lead is a task that’s easier said than done, while PREMA has a sizeable deficit to overcome, though are confident of their pace ahead of the weekend.

“We are confident. We have an amazing lineup that can do a very good job and we're working very well together and hope to finish the best way as possible,” PREMA Team Principal René Rosin said ahead of the weekend.

“We are confident that if we do the job like we know we can, it should be okay. In terms of performance, we have been very consistent but in terms of race results, there have been too many mistakes or too many things happening that have prevented us from being even better than what we are now.

“We just need to focus on doing a clean weekend. I'm not afraid about the performance because I think we should be there. It's just that we need to make sure everything runs smoothly, and we have no mistakes, that’s it.”

Situated right next door in the F2 pitlane, ART are getting preparations underway for what could be their day of days in Formula 2. The team has achieved a Drivers’ Championship in the past with George Russell (2018) and Nyck de Vries (2019) but are yet to secure the Teams’ honours.

Team Principal Sebastién Philippe says they are riding a wave of confidence but remain laser focused on their jobs ahead of the round getting underway.

“The feeling is good now we’re here. There's a big, big gap between last time and this race, more than a two-month gap, which is never easy. But this is the same for everybody and we arrive at this last round with full focus and big motivation.

“We are in a situation where we can fight for both Championships, so the team is prepared for that and we’re really happy to arrive at this moment which we’ve been anticipating for a long time now.”

Neither team is taking anything for granted at this early stage in the weekend. Despite their differing points situations, the ART and PREMA bosses have already told their teams to focus on the job at hand and that the rest will take care of itself.

For Philippe, the points differential is irrelevant, and the team will tackle the Abu Dhabi weekend without trying to overengineer the ideal result.

“I think it would be a mistake to try to count the points situation as it happens. We just need to do the best we can. I think it would be a mistake to think too much about the Championship. We are lucky to have a bit of a gap that helps us to go in it without overthinking it.

“We just need to finish the job but at the end of the day, I'm quite happy with what we've done this year. There is still some frustration because like everyone, you know you can always do a better job. But I'm very happy about the job the team done this year.”

PREMA meanwhile will hope to convert their Monza speed from the previous round into performance around the Yas Marina Circuit.

There is no shortage of motivation as the Italian outfit seeks to claim a record-extending third F2 Teams’ Championship against the odds.

“We are here, motivated to give our best and try to get the maximum amount of points as possible. For sure the gap is big, but it’s still achievable.

“We lost a few points in the last three events, but I think both drivers are really, really motivated to give their best in the final round to close the championship on a high and we will not give in until the chequered flag of the Feature Race.

“We will just go session by session. I think the drivers, mechanics, engineers - everybody is really motivated to do a good job and make it a great finish to the season.”

One factor that could swing things in the favour of PREMA is that they’ve been here before, literally. They were the winners back in 2021 in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ stakes, winning with Oscar Piastri in a dominant fashion that year.

For Rosin, it fuels the team’s confidence ahead of the weekend which he hopes will be a differential up against ART and their advantage in the Standings. Either way, the PREMA team boss says he expects a thrilling fight with ART right to the final lap of the season.

“It’s a circuit that we fit. There are good memories from the past here, but the competition is always very, very high. We need to focus on everything - do the best Practice to get ready for Qualifying, then do a great Qualifying and then working on the race. I think we along with ART will make it a great show for the fans.”